The present invention relates generally to a motion capture process and, more particularly, to an improved motion capture system and method that enables capturing and processing facial motion data.
Motion capture systems are used to capture the movement of a real object and map it onto a computer generated object as a way of animating it. Such systems are often used in the production of motion pictures and video games for creating a digital representation of an object or person that is used as source data to create a computer graphics (CG) animation. In a typical system, an actor wears a suit having markers attached at various locations (e.g., having small reflective markers attached to the body and limbs) and digital cameras record the movement of the actor from different angles while illuminating the markers. The system then analyzes the images to determine the locations (e.g., as spatial coordinates) and orientation of the markers on the actor's suit in each frame. By tracking the locations of the markers, the system creates a spatial representation of the markers over time and builds a digital representation of the actor in motion. The motion is then applied to a digital model, which may then be textured and rendered to produce a complete CG representation of the actor and/or performance. This technique has been used by special effects companies to produce highly realistic animations in many popular movies.
An advantage of motion capture systems over traditional animation techniques, such as keyframing, is the capability of real-time visualization. The production team can review the spatial representation of the actor's motion in real-time or near real-time, enabling the actor to alter the physical performance in order to capture optimal data. Moreover, motion capture systems detect subtle nuances of physical movement that cannot be easily reproduced using other animation techniques, thereby yielding data that more accurately reflect natural movement. As a result, animations using source material collected using a motion capture system will exhibit a substantially more lifelike appearance.